Dr. Annette Parker has served as President of 色中色 since July 2013. Throughout her life and career, community and technical colleges have played an integral role. After years as a production worker at GM, at age 28, she decided to enroll in the 2-year industrial drafting program at Lansing Community College. As a student employee, tutor, and laboratory assistant at Lansing, she discovered her passion for teaching and making a difference in the lives of her students. This motivated her to complete her bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees and become an instructor for Lansing鈥檚 K-12 partnership program, faculty contact trainer for the Business and Community Institute, and computer-aided design faculty member. Eventually, she also became Administrative Department Chair (Dean) and worked on a number of innovative college partnerships with the auto industry and other business and industry partners. After 17 years at Lansing, she moved on to serve as the System Director for Workforce Education for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. While there, she also served as the Executive Director and principal investigator for the Automotive Manufacturing Technical Education Collaborative (AMTEC). A National Science Foundation Advanced Automotive Manufacturing National Center of Excellence, AMTEC lives on as a successful model for industry-education collaboration. Throughout her career, Dr. Parker has served on more than 20 national and international boards and committees and earned a reputation as a respected expert in workforce development. Based on her notoriety, she has often been called upon to speak at national conferences and even before Congress on the important role of community and technical colleges in workforce development. Throughout her career, she has served as an inspiration particularly for minority and non-traditional students, demonstrating in her words and actions the impact education, combined with resiliency, can make in one鈥檚 life and the lives of others.
Education:
- Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Western Kentucky University
- Master of Science in Career and Technical Education, Ferris State University
- Bachelor of Science in Technical Education, Ferris State University
- Associate of Applied Science in Industrial Drafting, Lansing Community College
National Boards and Committees
Past
- American Association of Community College Board of Directors(Executive Committee Chair for Advancement)
- Center for Community College Student Engagement National Advisory Board
- Center of Quality of People and Organizations Board of Directors
- Corporate Voices for Working Families Board of Directors
- Manufacturing Skills Standards Council Board of Directors
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Work of the Future Task Force Advisory Board
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Steering Committee on Preparing the Engineering and Technical Workforce for Adaptability and Resilience
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Skilled U.S. Workforce Committee, which developed the report Training and Certification Pathways to a Skilled Technical U.S. Workforce.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Symposium for Reimagining Undergraduate STEM Education (Co-Chair)
- National Association of Manufacturers-Manufacturing Institute Advisory Board
- National Career Pathways Network Advisory Board
- National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers Board of Directors
- President Obama鈥檚 Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) Steering Committee 2.0 and co-chair of AMP鈥檚 鈥淒emand-Driven Workforce Development work team
- SkillsUSA Corporate Board of Directors (Kentucky)
- The President鈥檚 Roundtable (Vice Convener)
Current
- Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD) Board of Directors (Chair)
- Coalition for Career Development (CCD) Center Board of Directors (Chair)
- Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Advisory Council (Chair)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) Advisory Board
Local and Regional Boards and Committees
Past
- Faribault Area Chamber and Tourism Board of Directors
- Faribault Main Street Board of Directors
- Mayo Clinic Health System-Southwest Minnesota Regional Board of Directors
- Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center (Farmamerica) Agricultural Leaders Board of Advisors
- Seed Coalition - formerly Iowa/Minnesota Campus Compact (Past Chair)
Current
- Greater Mankato Area United Way Board
- Greater Mankato Growth Board of Directors
Major Initiatives
- Oversaw building and development of New Lansing Community College campus and competency-based, modularized curriculum to support the launch of two new GM plants in Lansing, helping to secure $50 million in industry partnerships.
- Lead the Automotive Manufacturing Technical Education Collaborative (AMTEC), a National Science Foundation Advanced Automotive Manufacturing Center of Excellence. A model for industry-education collaboration, AMTEC included partners from six of the world鈥檚 largest automobile companies, 34 automotive manufacturers, and 34 community colleges in 14 states. In 2010, the National Governors Association selected AMTEC as a model and national best practice in their case study A Sharper Focus on Technical Workers: How to Educate and Train for the Global Economy. AMTEC鈥檚 work was also highlighted in McKinsey and Company鈥檚 2013 article 鈥淏reaking the U.S. Growth Impasse,鈥� as well as publications from the U.S. Department of Education, Department of Labor, and others.
- Worked to secure a $15 million Department of Labor and Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant for a 12-college consortium led by 色中色
